Firearm



C. SUTTER FIREARM Filed Sept. 24, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 6, 1935. c. SUTTER 2,010,742

FIREARM Filed Sept. 24, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -irjE Patented Aug. 6, 1935 FIREARM Hotchkis's & Cie.,

Levallois-Pcrret,

Seine,

France, a'joint-stock company of France Application September 24, 1934, Serial No. 745,316 In France March 14, 1934 '3 Claims.

1 Machine guns as at present in service aregenerally fed by means of loaders containing a predetermined number of cartridges, and which are locked on the fire-arm which, for this purpose, is equipped with suitable hooking means. When the cartridgesof a loader are exhausted, the latter iswithdrawn and replaced by a fresh loader. A certain interval of time is required for withdrawing a loader and putting a fresh'loader in place, during which time firing is interrupted. Due to these dead periods, the rate of firing of the arm is considerably below the theoretical rate.

- The object of the present invention is to obviate this drawback, and it enables the practical rate of firing to be brought as near as possible to the theoretical rate, by reducing to a minimum the duration of the dead periods required for changingtheloaders. V 1

According to the present invention, there is mounted on the fire-arm support a loader-feeding trough which runs to the loading aperture of the fire-arm, for all positions of the latter, in site and in azimuth, and in which a replacement loader may be engaged while the loader in serviceis still inposition and feeds the arm, which replacement loader is thus in waiting position, and after the cartridges of the loader in service have been exhausted and the latter withdrawn, need only be made to slide down said guiding trough to be brought in its turn above the loading aperture, Where it will be locked ready to feed the fire-arm.

In these conditions, it is an easy operation, requiring but little time, to place the new loader in feeding position, and the dead periods during which firing is'interrupted are reduced to a minimum, which is'the result sought for.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment applied to a fire-arm fed by loading cases.

In the trough, the loading case rests on rollers which facilitate the forward movement.

Above the loading aperture of the fire-arm, said movement is likewise facilitated by rollers carried by the lateral faces of the loading case and which rollon the upper rail-forming edges of the aperture in question, as also by rollers carried by the fire-arm at the entrance of said aperture.

An inclined plane, acting on the rollers carried by the loading case, presses said case downwardly against the loading aperture and reliably latches it in front in the correct position.

To facilitate inspection and the removal of the machine gun from its cradle, the trough may be swung down on the side, and is to this end pivotable about a lateral axis and may be locked in its n0rma1 position by any suitable latching device.

Other characteristics and features of the in vention will become apparent from the ensuing description taken with reference to the accomtrough about each of which may rotate a roller 3, thus forming a conveyor belt. Said loading trough is mounted on the upper part of the cradle 4 of the fire-arm, relatively to which in' the caseillustrated, the machine gun 5 may move upon recoil. Said fire-arm 5 has, 'in'the usual manner, a loading aperture 6, in which maybe locked, at'the rear, by any suitable means not shown, a loading case i containing cartridges'which pass singly into the inside of the fire-arm. The loading trough joins up with two rails 8-80; which run to the loading aperture 6, the edges 9 and 9a of which form extensions of the rails in question. The loading cases, used in combination with a trough in conformance with the invention, may be loading cases of standard type; however, they are provided on each of their lateral faces with a roller l0 rolling on the upper edge of the cheek l-la or of the corresponding rail 88a. Furthermore, at the entrance to the loading aperture 6, the arm carries rollers H and l la on which the under facev of the loading case rolls after leaving the trough l-,la.

To place a loading case with the trough according to the invention in the feeding position, the procedure is as follows:

It will beassumed that the loading case "I is in the feeding position (as shown in Fig. 1). Before the cartridges it contains are exhausted, that is to say, still during firing, a first server may place a fresh replacement loader 1a in the trough |--la, that is to say in the waiting position. This operation, which demands a certain exertion of force, especially in the case of firearms of large calibre, may be effected without haste and consequently with less fatigue, since firing is not at the time interrupted. When all the cartridges of the loader I have been fired, it is only necessary for another server to withdraw said loader 1, while thefirst server allows the replacement loader la to slide down, and brings it into the feeding position as illustrated. At the end of its travel, an inclined'pla'ne I3, acting on the rollers l6, presses the loading case downwardly against the loading aperture and automatically looks it in front in the correct position, looking at the rear end being effected by a rapid downward movement, I p I It will thus be seen that with the trough in conformance with the invention the 'replacement of an empty loading case by a full loader occurs in two stages, cne'of which takes place during firing; said replacement operation'may,

then, be effected in an exceedingly convenient and rapid manner, whereby the dead periods are I appreciably reduced and the practical rate of firing increased.

In the case illustrated, it has been assumed that'a fire-arm of the recoil type was involved, that is to say, a, fire-arm displaceable relatively to :its cradle 4. In this case, care must be taken to place the trough Iia suificiently far back for the recoil of the fire-arm to take place freely. It is evident, however, that the invention is applicableto all types of fire-arms, whether of the V recoil or fixed type.

In order to allow for inspection or, more ready separation of the fire-arm 5 from its cradle 4, it is desirable'that it should be possible to swing down the trough. l-l a on to the side of the cradle. For this purpose, and in'pconformance with the embodiment illustrated',:'the trough l--Ia may swivel about alpin I4 carried by the cradle, as may be seen inFigVB, which shows the trough in its swung-overposition. .To bring the trough into normal position, it 'isonlynece'ssary to swing it to the left andit may then be locked in its normal position .by-meansof a pin I9, which is passed through a 'hole' I5 formed in alug l6 of the cradle, andthroughholes I] made in lugs 18 ofithe trough.

"It is moreover evident that the invention has only beendescribed andillustrated here in an explanatory but by no means limitative manner, and that it. could be subjected to modifications of detail without departing from the spirit there- I claim:

ljIn combination with a fire-arm, a feeding trough comprising two cheeks and rollers mounted between said cheeks, said feeding trough delivering to the loading aperture, of said'fir-arm, a loader adapted to be engaged in ,said feeding trough for conveyance to said loading aperture by riding over said'-rollers, --rails extending said feeding trough and leading to said loading aperture, androllers associated with said loader and adapted to roll on the cheeks of said feeding trough and on said rails. r

2. In combination with a fire-arm, a feeding trough comprising two cheeks andlrollers mounted between said cheeks, said feeding trough delivering to the loading aperture of said fire-arm,'i

a loader adapted to be engaged in said feeding V V 3. In combination with a fire-arm a'feeding trough comprising two cheeks and rollers 'mount-' 7 ed between said cheeks, said feeding trough (de:

liver-ing to the loading aperture of said fire-arm, a loader adapted to be engaged in said feeding trough for co v yan e ldsaic'l lo aperture by riding :over said rollers,;rai ls extending said e in trou h an leading, t isaidl a n p ture, ollers associated with saidloader adapted 'to roll qn.:the'=cheeks of said feeding trough and-9n Said railsand means for hm'gedly' mo n in said f eding trouehnnsaidgflre-armwhe e y s idreeding' trou he ay' be swung over laterally to allow of inspection-or dismounting of th fire-a ms, l J 1 

